Amanda Sirico competes in first World Championships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 2018
Contact: DC Fencers Club,
Bowie fencer competes in first World Championships
WASHINGTON — Amanda Sirico of Bowie, Maryland, has been selected to compete in her first World Fencing Championships, taking place July 19 – 27 in Wuxi, China.
Sirico, 22, will represent the United States in the Women’s Team Epee event held July 24-25. She joins three U.S. Olympians on the squad: fellow Capitol Division member Kat Holmes of Washington, D.C., and Courtney Hurley and Kelley Hurley of San Antonio, Texas. They are among a roster of 26 Team USA fencers who will compete in individual and team events in epee, foil and sabre. Senior Worlds hosts 2,000 athletes, coaches, and officials from 100 countries and regions across the world.
“It’s awesome to be selected for the team event and I can’t wait to be there in a new environment,” said Sirico. “It’s pretty cool to get a little baby step into world championships and gain good experience going into the next season.”
A two-time Junior World medalist, Sirico’s strong results in the 2017-2018 season helped earn her a spot at Senior Worlds. In April, Sirico won her first U.S. Championship title in Division 1 Women’s Epee. International results include team bronze at the Pan American Championships in Havana in June, and team bronze at the Barcelona World Cup in February. A rising senior at Notre Dame, she led the team to the 2018 fencing national championship and was named 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Fencing Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
DCFC also salutes Dennis Kraft, who also makes his Senior Worlds debut in Wuxi, having won the U.S. National Champion title and a top-32 at the Berne World Cup in Switzerland last fall.
Sirico is a member of DC Fencers Club (DCFC), where she trains with DCFC Head Coach Janusz Smolenski. For 28 years, Smolenski has coached many fencers to top results at U.S. National Championships, North American Cups, and international events.
Follow Team USA live results at the World Fencing Championships.
Photo: From L-R: Team USA’s Kat Holmes, Amanda Sirico, Kelley Hurley and Courtney Hurley earned team bronze at the Pan Am Championships in June. They reprise their team role at the World Championships in Wuxi, China in July.